Rain

Last week I eked 100.7 miles for a monthly total of 265. Saturday I did fifty (49.1) miles in a rain storm for four hours. Training isn't just physical fitness, but mental too. I have to be able to ride for 12 hours, almost non-stop, in what ever the conditions happen to be on August 14th. The quick though of weather in August is summer. Nice. Warm. But the ride is at a high elevation in the Rocky Mountains and with elevation come dramatically different weather.

Last year the morning started near freezing, the day warmed nicely then a thunderstorm came in and it hailed. That's high altitude weather. I'll be keeping an eye on the west horizon, but should anything pop up I don't have much choice but to keep riding. So on Saturday I did my four hours in off and on rain, heavy at times, sunny, very windy with one spectacular double rainbow. That rainbow is cast on the downpour I just rode through. Three road closures and two detours later I rolled home. Wet and cold, but I felt good. Really good.

Until Saturday I was ready to hire a cycling coach to help me condition for the race. I'd planned to since I'd been accepted and after a lot research I'd settled on Chris Carmichael's CTS program. For those not in the know, Carmichael is Lance's coach. He has parlayed that notoriety into a coached training program for athletes. Well whether you pick CTS or one of the numerous others out there, it is spendy! Upward of $150 a month for a basic package. I figure I have three thing to deal with in this race: the distance, the climbing and the elevation. After the ride Saturday I decided I'm not hiring a coach. I felt that good! This race is already quite expensive so it's nice to know I'm saving there and I think I'll be fine in the end. We'll see, won't we?

After a 20 mile recovery ride on Sunday, Patsy did some massage work on my legs and they're worked. Knots with knots! My early riding schedule has been Tuesday, Thurday, Saturday and Sunday. Considering the knots, I took yesterday's (Tuesday) ride off the schedule so I'll have three days in a row without a ride. Recovery is a very important part of training. Since I've just began, I chose to listen to Patsy and my body and rest a bit, but tomorrow I'll be back in the saddle. I feel good, I'm eating plenty, drinking a lot of water and taking a lot of vitamins/minerals/aminos. I'll keep you posted.

-PW